So Lill and I went to a new local Italian restaurant this weekend. We start by trying to order a couple of glasses of bubbly and a wine for later.

Me: We’ll have two glasses of Prosecco

Him: (face all scrunched up) Huh? I don’t know what that is. You have to order by the number.

Me: Ok, we’ll have two glasses of #101 and a bottle of this wine here (pointing). I’d like you to bring the wine out now so we can open it and let it breathe.

Him: (eyes bugging out) Whoa…what is this again?

(I go through the routine again)

Him: Now which do you want first? The glasses or the bottle?

Me: Umm, I’d like them both together.

Him: (shaking his head) Can’t do that.

Me: Why not?

Him: (still shaking his head, mumbling) 30 second rule

Me: (eyes bugging out) What?

Him: (still more shaking) 30 second rule. If I bring you a drink I can’t bring you another one for 30 seconds. It’s the rule.

Me: (speechless)

Me: Ok, bring us the glasses of Prosecco and 30 seconds later, bring us out the bottle.

Me: (light bulb goes on) I can do that…(and off he goes, coming back with the Prosecco and 31 seconds (give or take) later with the bottle. )

The Prosecco (of which I completely forgot to write down the producer) was light, crisp and very refreshing, pairing nicely with some arancini di roso.

2003 Luigi Righetti Amarone della Valpolicella Classico Capitel de'Roari (Veneto) Right out of the bottle this wine has vibrant aromas of plum and cedar. It’s extremely silky on the palate and the wine is very flavorful with cocoa dusted, very ripe, but not jammy, plums. While the wine has heft it has really no tannic structure to speak of. Overall this is a fairly easy drinking, simple but tasty wine for near term drinking.

But beyond that, what does this 30-second rule accomplish? Were you planning to slam the Proseccos with an Amarone chaser?

I have absolutely no idea and given the confusion at this place, I wasn't going to ask. The table behind us ordered their entrees prior to us and were just being served as we were leaving (after leisurely having the wine with our entree and a pretty sad looking "cheese" course)

What a bizarre rule. I mean, I guess if they want to combat binge drinking, a time limit between sense could make sense to someone with a nanny-ish outlook. But what good does 30 seconds do? Gee, it took me a whole 5 minutes to down 10 shots of tequila!

Bill Buitenhuys wrote:I have absolutely no idea and given the confusion at this place, I wasn't going to ask. The table behind us ordered their entrees prior to us and were just being served as we were leaving (after leisurely having the wine with our entree and a pretty sad looking "cheese" course)

Sounds like a restaurant I went to where the waitress provided us with datagram service.

For those not up on computer network protocols, a datagram link is one of the most primitive kinds of network connection. A datagram link may deliver data packets to you out of order, not at all, more than once, or with errors. We experienced all of the above from this waitress, regarding items we'd ordered for our meals.

She seemed to be having a bad night, so we were merciful on her. But it was one of the lowest points in restaurant service that I've ever experienced.